Chapter 221 - 89: Revenge of the Michelin Man

Chapter 221: Chapter 89: Revenge of the Michelin Man

Yu Xian stared intently at the time in the top right corner of his phone screen. Both of them were waiting.

According to their test plan, Wen Xiao, acting as the "host," needed to play the audio and enter the dreamscape first. Yu Xian, as the "guest," would connect after her.

19:58.

19:59.

20:00.

"I’m starting," Wen Xiao whispered breathlessly.

Yu Xian knew she had already pressed play. In the North District Apartments, separated from him by the entire JCU campus, she was falling into that pitch-black, starry Dream Net.

He took a deep breath and waited quietly. He needed to give her a little time to ensure the audio successfully hypnotized her to sleep first. If he, as the "guest," could cross the entire campus, successfully connect to this dreamscape, and see the exact same starry sky and mirror...

That would mean their "server" hypothesis was highly likely to be proven true.

A single minute felt incredibly long within the darkness of his bed curtains.

20:01.

Time was up. Yu Xian closed his eyes, lightly tapped the screen with his finger, and pressed play.

That piano piece composed using the Twelve-tone Technique, accompanied by the low rhythmic thrum of white noise, instantly flooded his ears once again. He slowed his breathing, allowing the melody to drag his consciousness into the dream.

This time, the process of falling asleep seemed much smoother than before. Perhaps his body was truly exhausted, or maybe his subconscious had already begun to adapt to this forced hijacking.

When he opened his eyes again, the translucent alarm clock icon popped up in the lower right corner of his vision. It was the same familiar routine. He looked around; the starry sky was still twinkling above him. But this didn’t prove that their remote connection was successful. Even if the connection failed, as long as the audio contained the same "blueprint prompt words," his brain would independently construct the exact same foundational scene.

The key now was to find another person under this vast expanse of stars.

"Wen Xiao?" Guided by the faint starlight, he walked toward the mirror.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, his pupils dilating slightly. In front of that giant mirror, someone was sitting quietly on the dark brown wooden chair. A white school uniform blouse, a blue bowtie, and a grayish-blue pleated skirt with a fine plaid pattern.

It was definitely Wen Xiao.

Yu Xian felt a surge of joy. It seemed they had succeeded. Crossing the physical distance of the entire JCU campus, the connection was still established!

"Wen Xiao? It looks like our guess was right. The distance test is a success." He walked over quickly and called out again, but the girl in front of him remained motionless. Facing the mirror, she looked like a lifelike wax figure.

The smile on Yu Xian’s face froze, and he frowned. "What’s going on?" he thought.

"Wen Xiao?" he called out again, raising his voice a bit this time.

Still, there was no reaction. Yu Xian hurried around to the front of the chair. Wen Xiao’s eyes were tightly shut, her breathing steady. At this moment, she looked like an exquisite doll displayed in a shop window.

An ominous premonition welled up in his heart, and a word suddenly popped into his head: "Disconnected."

It was just like playing an online game when a player’s internet suddenly cuts out. Their character would just stand frozen in place, losing all control and becoming an un-interactive "puppet." Could this kind of "disconnection" also happen in the Dream Net? Was it because the distance was too far, causing an unstable signal? Or did something happen to Wen Xiao in reality, causing her consciousness to detach from this dreamscape?

"Wen Xiao, can you hear me?"

Yu Xian was getting anxious. He reached out and gently nudged her shoulder. The girl’s body swayed slightly, but her eyes remained tightly shut, showing absolutely no sign of waking up.

His heartbeat began to accelerate. If she had truly "disconnected," then what was this "shell" left behind in the dream? A remnant of her subconscious?

A far more terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. If Wen Xiao’s consciousness could never reconnect, would she be trapped in this empty dream forever?

Yu Xian gritted his teeth, reached out, and patted her fluffy head twice, as if smacking a malfunctioning old TV set.

Still no reaction.

Yu Xian pulled his hand back, preparing to exit the dream immediately and contact Shao Yiyi to check on her.

But right at that moment...

"BOO!"

Wen Xiao suddenly stood up, deliberately opening her mouth wide and letting out an exaggerated, completely non-threatening shriek.

Yu Xian was completely off guard. His already taut nerves were severely jolted by this sudden twist. He violently flinched, his heart constricting so hard he nearly passed out.

"HAHAHAHA..." A burst of clear, silvery laughter suddenly erupted under the silent starry sky.

Wen Xiao stood there, clutching her stomach as she doubled over with laughter. Finally, she muttered softly, "Idiot Yu Xian."

Yu Xian stood frozen in place, panting heavily as he tried to calm his panicked heart. He stared at the girl trembling with laughter in front of him. It took several full seconds before his brain finally started working again.

"Is this Michelin Man... faking a disconnection?" he thought.

He finally realized that everything just now was just this seemingly harmless little girl deliberately trying to scare him! And to think he used to believe Wen Xiao was just a "kind-hearted bun-head"...

He wondered if this was her way of getting revenge on him for brushing her off earlier.